I had studied Russian for a year in University as an extra subject but I didn’t continue with it when I finished. In 2014 I visited Moscow and Saint Petersburg and the little Russian I had came in useful, so when I returned to Ireland I decided to try and start learning the language again. Also the company I was working with at the time had an office in Moscow and another in Almaty, Kazakhstan, so I thought Russian could also be a useful language for my work. I contacted Irina and started doing classes, initially face to face while I was working in Dublin. When I got a job and moved to Sligo, I was able to continue studying with Irina via Skype and have been doing so for over 5 years now.
Doing individual one to one classes in Russian is very helpful as the language is quite complex so you can get more attention and practice. While the language is difficult it is also very rewarding to learn if you persevere. There are always new things to discover with the language. I have found Russian a very useful language on my travels as it tends to be the working language in many cities of the former Soviet Union such as Odessa in Ukraine, Chisinau in Moldova and Riga in Latvia for example.